Fetal blood is a source of numerous blood factors that have important commercial and therapeutic uses in a number of different fields, such as tissue culture, bone marrow transplantation, stem cell collection, pharmacology, and biologic research. While this need for fetal blood factors can be met for some purposes with non-human fetal blood (e.g., fetal calf serum is a common component of growth media used for mammalian cell cultures), some applications require the use of human fetal blood, principally due to biocompatability with the human immune system.
For example, although aggressive anti-cancer treatments systematically kill tumor cells, they also destroy blood-forming cells, namely, stem cells. Cancer patients undergoing aggressive therapy therefore require an infusion of stem cells to reconstitute their blood and immune system. Traditionally, bone marrow was thought to be the best source of stem cells, and gave rise to bone marrow transplantation. More recently, blood extracted from umbilical cords immediately following a child's birth has been identified as a rich and readily accessible source of stem cells.
Currently, the sole commercial source of human fetal blood is blood obtained from the placenta and umbilical cord of newborns after delivery. This blood is often referred to as "cord blood," as it is typically obtained by draining the placenta and umbilical cord through the severed umbilical cord after delivery.
At the present time, cord blood is typically collected by draining blood from a placenta into an open container by "milking" the umbilical cord. This rather crude procedure has several disadvantages in that it is awkward to perform and it is difficult to control the sterility of the collected cord blood. In another currently available method, blood is collected from the umbilical cord vein via a conventional large-gauge needle and syringe, although this procedure is also awkward to perform and exposes the medical personnel to potential needle sticks.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved apparatus and method for maximizing a volume of cord blood collected from an umbilical cord, in an aseptic manner, and in particular, a method and apparatus that are more simple and efficient to use. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides further related advantages.